Loras College graduates go on to achieve great things throughout their lives. Here are a few famous Loras College alumni prior to our milestone in 1971 of becoming co-educational, who made their mark on the world. For a list of more famous Loras Alumni, visit loras.edu/175.
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Don Ameche
Bob Kaliban
’29
’55
Film actor
Actor
On May 31, 1908, Don Ameche was born. After studying at Loras College he went to Marquette, Georgetown and the University of Wisconsin to study law, but it wasn’t long before he realized his true passion was for theater. By 1929, he made his first New York stage debut as a butler on Broadway, which was shortly followed by his film debut in Sins of Man in 1936. At 77, he received an Academy Award for best supporting actor in the film Cocoon. In 1986, when asked about his life, Ameche responded, “You’re talking to a man with no regrets. I’ve always accepted things as they were. God was awfully good to me during the good days.” (Flint, Peter. New York Times journalist.)
Upon graduating cum laude from Loras in 1955, Bob Kaliban received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England. While studying in London, Kaliban performed for Queen Elizabeth. After serving 27 months abroad in the U.S. Army, he returned to the U.S. and began acting in Milwaukee, Wis. His work with the theater in Milwaukee led him to Broadway and then New York. Before Kaliban retired, he had appeared not only on stage and voiced over many commercials, but also appeared in a number of films and several television series including Law & Order, As the World Turns and The Ed Sullivan Show.
Red Faber
Greg Gumbel
Attended in 1909
’67
Hall of Fame baseball pitcher, Chicago White Sox
CBS sportscaster
Born on September 6, 1888, Urban Clarence “Red” Faber became a name preserved in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. One of the last individuals to legally throw a spit ball, and live through a World War as well as the Black Sox scandal, Faber earned his place in American baseball history. Though there are no records of his graduating from Loras College, Faber began began his career playing for St. Joseph’s College (Loras College). By 1909 Faber joined the Dubuque Miners and in 1910 he threw his first perfect game against Davenport. The next day the Pittsburg Pirates bought his contract. Later, White Sox owner Comiskey signed Faber for the 1914 season. Loras College honored the Hall of Famer by adding his name to the athletic practice field—Faber-Clark Field.
Greg Gumbel, the first African-American play-by-play announcer for a Super Bowl (2001), graduated from Loras College in 1967. In 1973, Gumbel became the sports announcer for Chicago TV station WMAQ-TV. Gumbel then went on to work with a number of other channels and stations – MSG, ESPN and WFAN, hosting radio and television shows and broadcastsAs a CBS employee, Gumbel found himself announcing, hosting and anchoring a wide variety of sporting events, from the Daytona 500 to the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympic Games. He moved to NBC in 1994, and covered events such as the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the 1995 World Championships of Figure Skating and the 1996 Summer Olympics. After Super Bowl XXXII, Gumbel returned to CBS.
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